On Sunday 05 August 2018 03:23:13 Mike Bird wrote:
> Hi Bill,
>
>
> As Stefan noted, there's too much being changed and too little information
> for us to help you.  You probably have a quarter million or more files
> on your system - enough files that if they were printed out they would fill
> a small library.  

Although, yes, I probably have too much installed, I do this because I test a 
lot of different software, then strip down to what I want. For example, I try 
out all the different media players, but I don't keep them all. 

I think maybe you are interpreting my words too literally, though. I backup my 
home directory, as well as parts of etc, and certain config files, to another 
hard drive. I don't generally overwrite my home folder and start with a fresh 
installation, unless I run into obstacles that defeat all my efforts. 

> And you're changing things.  And computers are very fussy 
> eaters.  We have no idea what you have on your system so how can we tell
> you where it is broken?
>
Not sure what you mean by changing things. As I said, I keep what works and 
has been stable; which is why I backup my home folder, then look to copy over 
my configuration where it is possible. I don't want to keep reinventing the 
wheel. 

> For best results start with a clean install and only change what you
> understand.  Thoroughly test one change before trying another.  Keep
> good backups so you can back away from mistakes.
>
> On Sat August 4 2018 23:01:10 William Morder wrote:
> > Sorry to vanish in mid-thread; a combination of this ongoing problem,
> > which forces me to reinstall my system every other day
>
> Does the system run correctly after installing?  Precisely what changes
> to break things?  Is your hardware reliable?
>
Everything runs fine until I change to TDE. I install Debian, migrate to 
Devuan, purge LibreOffice, then reboot. Then I install TDE and reboot. It is 
usually on the second reboot, after I have installed TDE packages, that I see 
this error. 

> > my home folder has remained essentially the same through several
> > different operating systems
>
> Don't restore your entire home folder - it contains lots of config that's
> probably obsolete or incompatible.  Restore only specific user files
> such as documents, photos, music, etc.

I restore config files, settings, and so on, unless they give me problems. I 
understand what you're saying, but if I wanted to start from scratch every 
time, and could not modify my system, then I might as well run Windoze. 

> > I did find a cookie file with rw permissions only. (I assume that this
> > ought to be rw-r-r, am I right?)
>
> Probably not.  There's no reason for other users to read your configs.
>
I will keep an eye on this, as in any case something is causing this issue. If 
I can find what is making the root filesystem read-only, that will solve the 
problem. 
> > Could not create lock file in /tmp/.tXO-lock
>
> As Stefan noted, this is where you should start.  Check your syslog from
> boot to this point to find an explanation of why your root filesystem
> was either remounted read-only or was not remounted read-write.
>
Yes, thanks, I am combing through my syslog files.

> > This seems to be caused by some conflict between Debian and Devuan
> > packages.
>
> This is somewhat unlikely as the two are very compatible and mostly
> identical.
>
I think it's partly because I migrate to init, but cannot entirely get rid of 
systemd stuff.

>
> --Mike

Thanks for your patience, and detailed response. 

Bill